I had to bathe my cats this morning because I put Hartz flea protection on them and they were able to lick it. Rather than waiting for them to get sick or possibly die, I decided I should at least try to wash it off.
I gave them both a bath with the same soap.
But ever since then my small female cat has been very hostile towards my larger male cat. If he is in the same room as her or she can see him she make awful sounds and won't stop. He can't get near the litterbox or food because she will attack him and chase him through the house hissing and clawing.
Is this happening because of the baths??
I'm really worried she will hurt him and keep him from eating and using the litterbox.
2007-08-16 13:47:45 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
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2007-08-16 14:24:02 · update #1
Yes, that is it.
What you need to do is rub your other cat with a towel and then rub the aggressive one. This will pass the smell on.
2007-08-16 13:53:21 · answer #1 · answered by sarah071267 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Cats respond to change of smell. A lot of times when one kitty spends time in the hospital the other animals of the house will be wary of them for a while until they lose the hospital smell and start smelling like themselves. This may be the same thing happening here.
An interesting trick I learned from the vet is using corn starch. It make the smell neutral and less threatening. It works especially well when introducing a new cat - or when you start having kitty wars.
Cats are strange creatures, each with their own personality. We have yet to figure out the feline brain. We have learned that they do reason and think outside of instinct though. It could be even that she sees her bath as being his fault and that he didn't protect her as the male cat. Who knows?
They should calm down within the next few days. Try using the corn startch to see if it has to do with smell.
Also, there may be something else going on and the bath has nothing to do with it.
In the meantime set up a safe area for him. Put him the the bathroom, or in the back part of the house away from her so he can eat, drink and use the bathroom. He needs to be taken care of, not just left to fend for himselves. A lot of times, in my experience, male cats in this situation will just back down and look to you for help.
2007-08-16 14:00:11 · answer #2 · answered by noncrazed 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps you should separate them for a day or so until the smell diminishes. We take ours to the vet for grooming, and in the spring, we took the largest one first because she had bad mats.
When she came home, the other two were very hostile. The following week, we took the other two, so the tables were turned. Then we had three of them hissing and boxing!
They got over it. The next time we took them for grooming, we took all of them at once.
2007-08-16 13:57:33 · answer #3 · answered by felines 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The cats don't smell like themselves any more. It's been shown that cats sometimes don't recognize their humans when the people have been in the hospital; however, when the hospital scent wears off, the cats recognize them again.
Just wait for the cats to secrete their normal scents again, and everything should be fine.
2007-08-16 13:58:47 · answer #4 · answered by JelliclePat 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's just because they are both stressed and he smells different to her now.Give them a few days and all should be back to normal.Maybe put one of them in a room ( bedroom,basement,bathroom) by itself with a litterbox,food and water so they can both calm down. Cats are funny!
2007-08-16 14:53:38 · answer #5 · answered by Dances With Woofs! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it very well could be.. maybe he doesnt like the way the other cat smells now... cats base alot on smell.. you can call your vet.. they can give you some other possiblities.. and maybe a solution if it is the bath.. if its a good vet.. they should tell you over the phone without having to pay for a visit
2007-08-16 13:51:56 · answer #6 · answered by one_goofy_devil 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, a lot of times when a cat doesn't smell like a cat. Cats don't think of it as a cat. Especially different sexes. They don't smell the hormones. So your cat thinks its a IT. They don't like it. It's not familiar and it makes them feel threatened.
2007-08-16 13:52:29 · answer #7 · answered by beepwhenifly 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yep could be the smell thinking its a new cat try spaying them both with something and you didnt have to wash them the flea protection would have been ok
2007-08-16 13:55:08 · answer #8 · answered by infoman89032 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They rely on scent more than we think! She wants to know who this strange cat is and why he's in her house. Maybe you should put her in a room alone and let him get a turn at the food and litter.
2007-08-16 13:52:30 · answer #9 · answered by marie 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I do not believe it is because it is the whole bath thing. Just keep the cats away from each other. After awile they will like each other again.
2007-08-16 13:53:41 · answer #10 · answered by kittyluv 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋